A hierarchical circuit-level design methodology for microelectromechanical systems

A circuit-level methodology for hierarchical design and nodal simulation of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is presented. A layout-based schematic view is introduced as a geometrically intuitive MEMS representation that is transformed into a schematic suitable for behavioral simulation. As examples of the design methodology, suspended-MEMS inertial sensors, resonant actuators, and filters are designed using a small set of geometrically parameterized plate, beam, gap, and anchor elements. Effects of manufacturing variations are evaluated by simply changing parameter values of the elements.